Are You a Green Sinner?
Posted on February 8, 2011 by
photo from Guardian.uk
My son recently mentioned that he finds all this environmental awareness activity amusing. He remembers when the other kids made fun of him because his family recycled. “They thought we were weird.”
In just a few years, we Greenies have gone from being on-the-fringe treehuggers to being the most guilt-ridden members of society. Why? Because now that everyone is doing it, we feel as if we never do enough. Advertisers, the media, and even our Prius-driving neighbors contribute to the stress we feel when our efforts to live a sustainable and responsible life fall short.
Are you suffering from Green Guilt? You are if….
- to maximize fuel efficiency, you insist on consolidating a few errands with your drive to the hospital when you’re in labor
- you have a room stacked with non-recyclable containers that you plan to somehow convert to useful household items
- you shiver through the winter because you can’t afford solar panels and all other sources of heat are bad for the environment
- you fall to pieces in the household cleanser aisle after an hour of trying to determine which product is least non-toxic
- you wait until you’re alone, then lock the doors and turn off the lights to indulge your decadent bubblebath addiction
- you avoid friends and family because you know that organic, non-toxic deodorant doesn’t stop BO
- you pretend to be a housesitter so your green friends won’t know that you own a million-dollar resource-gobbling mansion
- you aren’t as appalled by the contents of the plastic baggie in your teen’s car as you are by the plastic baggie
Listen to me. Living an environmentally-friendly lifestyle goes far beyond recycling. Being ‘green’ is just one component of living sensibly; it’s no more or less important than living a healthy, compassionate, emotionally, and spiritually friendly life. A truly sustainable lifestyle grows naturally from wholeness.
When efforts to be green skew your perception of yourself or other people, and cause you to feel overwhelmed by the enormous responsibility you’ve taken on, it’s time for an intervention. That’s why I’m here — to remind you that saving this planet is a group effort and that one Styrofoam takeout container does not mean you’re evil.
I hereby declare myself to be the Green Guru. I am the final authority on green living, and these are the rules I’ve established:
- Thous shalt reduce consumption (reduce, not eliminate)
- Thou shalt reuse only such items as are reasonably sound and do not contribute to bacterial infection
- Thou shalt recycle to the best of your ability, given the acceptance policy of your local recycling center
- Thou shalt recognize and respect the reality of 21st century culture and accept the limitations of your own human nature
- Thou shalt live whole, in peace and contentment, with tolerance and understanding for yourself and others
Go now and enjoy life. The Green Guru has spoken.
Great post, Green Guru! You’re right — it’s so easy to drive yourself crazy if you try to do too much. We all make an impact on the planet, we all make waste, but the key is to minimize the harm we do as much as possible.
You are ever so wise, Green Guru. Please stick around!
Thank you, Courtney and Modern Gal. I’m pleased to know that you are paying attention to my beneficent guidance. Your humble leader, the Green Guru
I try not to let it bother me that occasionally I forget my reusable mug and end up getting a disposable cup (no Lid) and occasionally my hunger for Hawaiian BBQ forces me to accept a poly styrene container. I will deal with that.
Thank you oh green guru, for releasing me from my guilt.
Ahh, nothing like a hardline moderate perspective.
I’m with you on the rest of them, but Commandment #4 is a little too rife with loopholes and potential excuses for my taste. Don’t get me wrong- I’m a fan of reality, but I’m not going to use it as a crutch.
LOL Love the commandments!
Sadly, it’s a thin line between guilt and apathy, I’ve found. I think it boils down to really connecting with why you’re doing what you’re doing…then it doesn’t become a chore or a burden. It’s something that becomes a part of who we are.
But, Rob … reality IS a crutch!
It has been suggested by the Outlaw Farmer that we develop an app for this. Confess your green sins and the app will assign penance (You are forgiven for the Styrofoam takeout container. Now recycle three aluminum cans and turn off all the lights for one hour.)
Please forgive me Green Guru for I have sinned. Its been nearly 3 decades since my last confession. Since then my kitchen has become a series of compartments assigned to various types of “garbage”. There’s at least 75 egg cartons on top of the refrigerator. Next to those sits a pie pan of compost I keep reminding myself to feed to the chickens and then forgetting to do it. I have no less than 4 feed sacks in the pantry dedicated to the items our dump will recycle: glass, plastic, aluminum and paper. Then there’s the regular trash can for everything else. I have to admit sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing. Like Tara says, this is all a part of who I am. But its a chore none the less and I’ll admit it, sometimes I go the easy rout and throw my eggs shells into the trash can instead of the garden. I have committed countless other trespasses against this beautiful planet. So many I am at a loss of where to begin. So yes, an app would really come in handy here.
You are forgiven, my child. Now go in peace and… wait, did you say you throw egg shells in the trash?!? The Green Guru isn’t sure that can be forgiven.
Did I mention I’m a dairy goat farmer and I make my own laundry powder? Shouldn’t absolve me from the eggs shell trepidation at least? Just sayin’. Man you guys are strict. I must be more of a cafeteria greeny.
Okay, Outlaw Farmer. Now that I have more facts, I can see that you are not evil at all. In fact, you are a role model. The Green Guru forgives your egg shell sin and commends you for your attention to the problem of toxic chemicals in commercial laundry products. Most people don’t think about that.
Well that’s a relief. Thank you Green Guru. I’m off with a truckload of other people’s magazines to a recycling center some folks say will actually take these old rags. Let’s hope the myth is true.
I am writing a essay on “green guilt” which I did not know existed until my essay on building green made me feel guilty about the house I currently own. For the heck of it I typed in “green guilt” and amongst other thing I found you so I changed my topic. Love your advice.